The Thai ‘drug lord’ has plastic surgery to look like a ‘handsome Korean’ who is unsuccessfully trying to hide from the police
- Saharat Sawangjaeng, 25, was charged with illegally importing narcotics
- He changed his name and face after wanting to start a “new life” in South Korea
A “drug lord” believed to be the main driver behind the “Bangkok MDMA epidemic” has drastically altered his face with plastic surgery to evade authorities, police confirm.
Thai Saharat Sawangjaeng, 25, changed his name and face to appear as a “handsome Korean man” after undergoing numerous surgical procedures.
Although Saharat wanted “a new life” in South Korea, according to the BBC, police managed to track him down and have reportedly since charged him with illegally importing narcotics.
It was also said that last week he admitted to buying drugs using bitcoin on the dark web before selling them to customers in Thailand’s capital.
Thai Police Major General Theeradej Thammasutee told the Strait Times that he “imported MDMA from Europe when he was just 25 years old,” adding that he was “one of the main contributors to the MDMA epidemic in Bangkok.”
Before the operation: Saharat Sawangjaeng (pictured), 25, was charged with illegally importing narcotics
MDMA is a recreational drug taken as ecstasy pills that can act as both a stimulant and a psychedelic.
Police have reportedly been trying to trace Saharat since December last year and managed to do so by tracing Bangkok’s ecstasy distribution.
Authorities had also arrested Saharat three times before his surgeries and knew what he looked like.
On one occasion, Saharat was allegedly caught with 290 ecstasy pills and 2kg of liquid narcotics when he was previously arrested for assault.
He went under the knife after escaping custody and witnesses described him to police as a “handsome Korean man”.
After his arrest, there should be investigations into other suspects outside of Thailand.